Cutting-machine



W. C. BAXTER. CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1917.

1 344,975. Patented June 29, 1920.

8 SHEETSSHEET 1.

W. C. BAXTER.

CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7. 1917.

PatentedJune 29, 1920.

8 SHEETS SHEET 2.

W. C. BAXTER.

CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1917.

Patented June 29, 1920.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. C. BAXTER.

CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 7 1917.

.Piitented June 29, 1920.

B SHEETS-SHEET 5 W. C. BAXTER.

CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1.19:7.

Patented June 29, 1920.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

W. C. BAXTER.

CUTTING MACHINE. APPLlCATlON FlLED ms 1', 1917.

1,344,975. Patented June 29, 1920.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 7- W. C. BAXTER.

CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7. I917.

1 44,975. Patented June 29, 1920.

8 SHEETS-SHEET Hv //v vE/v 710R.

i4? CZ E:

ing

UNITED STATES PAT NT, OFFICE.

WILLIAM CEIBAXTEB, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, 01 TATEBSON, NEW JEEP SEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

comma-1140mm.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. BAXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain I mprovements in C'utting-Machinps, of wh ch the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates, in general, to cutting machines, and in its more particular aspects to machines for cutting blanks from sheet material. The invention is herein illustrated in its application to machines for dieing out heel lifts for use in the manufac- I ture of boots and shoes, but it will be understood that as to many of its novel features the invention is not limited in res ect to the particular character or purpose 0 theprodnot of the machine.

An important object of the invention is to provide a machine so constructed and organized as to o erate upon the stock material in a rapi and efiective manner with as little waste} of the material as possible. The machine herein shown is broadly similar in type to the machine shown in my earlier application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 13,673, filed March 11, 1915, and one object of the invention is to improve the general organization and construction of machines of the type shown in said earlier application.

An important feature of the invention resides in novel means for insuring the correct location of a piece of material with reference to means such as a die for cutting a blank from the piece, this feature, in its illustrative embodiment, comprising means for operating upon an end portion of the material in the space between the cutting means and the normal feedin means'after the material has left the fee ing means in order to position such material correctly with reference to the cutting means. The invention provides means for advancing the piece of material into position for a blank likewise to means for feeding and slitting to be cut therefrom and means for engagthe material to limit its advancing movement and determine its correct relation to the cutting means. The illustrative construction, including a cutting block which Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 29 1920 Application filed June 7, 1917. Serial No. 178,814.

fingers being constructed to give the fingers a normal movement into close proximity to the edge of the die while permitting them to stop before they reach their normal limit of movement in case the dimension of the piece in the direction of feed is materially greater than the corresponding dimension of the la. a

The illustrative machine is particularly adapted for cutting blanks in successive series from a sheet of material such as leatherboard' as the sheet is passed a plurality of times through the machine, and has means for slitting the material in such passage through the machine in parallel relation to the direction of feed at 'a distance from its edge corres onding substantially to that dimension of the die which is perpendicular to the direction of feed; and a further feature of the invention consists in improved means for feeding the material to cause it to be operated upon by the slitting means andcorrectly positioned with reference to the blank cutting means. The invention provides feeding means for the material arranged to enga e it in front of the slitting means, the mafiiine shown having two pairs of feed rolls spaced apart in the direction of the feed, with rotary slitting cutters mounted to turn with the second pair of rolls. An important advantage of such an arrangement is that effective engagement of the feeding means initially with the sheet of material is not opposed by the slitting means, and where, as in the illustrative construction, feed rolls and rotary cutters are used in combination, the cuttersmay have as great a diameter as may be desired relatively to the rolls without interfering .with the feed of the material.

Other features of the invention, relating the material, consist in a novel construction and arrangement of feed rolls including provision for adjustment of the rolls; in a novel arrangement comprising a plurality comprises novel means for controlling the movement of the material. into I operative relation' to the blank cutting means,

material in its passage between the feeding 1 means andthe 'cuttmg means. The conearlier application, tween the stop and the cutting means, the arrangement permitting the stop. to close struction shown, embodying this feature,

comprises'the combination of a stop arranged for operation to control the admission of the material to the feeding means in a manner similar to the stop shown in my and a presser foot bebehin the material in order to prevent the premature admission of more material to the feeding means while the! movement of the remainder of the material toward the cutting means continues to be controlled irrespective of the return of the stop to its operative position.

Machines of the illustrative type are provided with a guide for the edge of the sheet todirect it with its edge in close relation to the cutting edge on one end ofthe die, in order to cut the blanks .as close to the edge of the sheet as possible. The edge of a sheet of material such as'leather-board, however, is frequently rough and uneven, and in the first passage of such a sheet through the machine a out too close to the edge is likely to result in imperfect blanks, The invention accordingl provides, as a further feature, means fbr relatively wide mar in of the sheet to project beyond the an of the die in the first assageof the sheet through the machine. his feature is shown as embodied in a construction comprising two edge guides, one of which is positioned in front of the other and serves normally to guide the sheet with its ed e in close relatlon to the die and is mova le out of its operative position to permit the'other guide to be used, when the operator so desires, to cause the sheet to be positioned for cutting the blanks farther from the edge.

The invention also rovides a novel construction and method for use in cutting wedge shaped heel lifts or-like articles from strips of material. The shape of lifts of this character requires that the stock be split to provide strips wedge shaped in transverse section and each of a width substantially the same as, or slightly greater than, the dimension of the required lift fromthe breast edge to the rear end, the liftsbeing cut from such a strip with their breast edges including provision for avoiding displacement 'of the the overlappin permitting. a

tice heretofore to feed each wedge shaped strip singly to a die, thereby causing the lifts to be cut therefrom one at a time.

lllS invention provides a method and means whereby two wedge lifts may be. cut simultaneously from two strips, the strips being positioned with their edges in parallel relatio'n'and with their thinner edge portlons in proximity to each other to permit the use of'a double die for cutting both lifts.

\ln accordance with the illustrative procedure, the two strips are positioned with their thinner edge portions in overlapping relato permit the breast edges of both lifts to be formed by a single incision throu h portions of the stri s. n

even breast e ge on each lift is t us in- 1 ,sured, and by the use of a double die the breast edges of the two lifts may be formed 3y a transverse cutting edge on the die. he invention provides means for guiding the two strips to insure the correct relation of their thinner edgeportions to each other the guiding means, in the illustrative construction, comprising outside edge guides spaced apart a distance less than the combined widths of two strips and means between said guides for guiding the thinner edge portions of the strips in overlapping relation.

Still other features of the invention reside in novel means for stripping the mate- 'rial from the die, novel'means for separating the perfect blanks from the scrap after the cutting operation, novel means for conveying theblanks to a suitable point for delivery into a receptacle, and in various details of construction and combinations of parts,.all of which will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and .pointed out in the claims.

In the draw1ngs,

Figure '1 is a side elevation of a machine in which the invention is embodied as viefved in the direction of feed of the materia Fig. 2 is a diagonal perspective view showlng portions of the .machine at the front and on the opposite side from Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagonal perspective view showing the feed rolls and the means for guiding the material and controlling its admission to the rolls;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section in a plane parallel to the direction of the feed of the material;

Fig. 5 shows in greater detail a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3, together with the means for controlling the passage of the material from the feed rolls to the die;

Fig. 6' is a detail view illustrating the manner of feeding the end portion of the material to the dle;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the driving connections for the feed rolls and the stripping cutters and the means for adjusting the rolls and the cutters;

Fig. 8 shows in detail the die POSltlODiIlg means and the means for stripping the material from the die;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section through the driving means for the feed rolls and stm ping cutters in a plane parallel to the 1- rection of feed of the mater al;

Fig. 10 is a vertical section lllustrating the means for adjusting one pair of the feed rolls Fig. 11 shows in detail the means for separatin the blanksfrom the scrap and a portion 0 the'means for recelvmg the blanks and conveying them away from the separating means;

Fig. 12

shows in perspective guidin means for use in directing we dge shape strips over the die for cutting wedge lifts,

and

Fig. 13 is a vertical section on a larger scale 'of a portion of the guidlng means shown in Fig. 12.

In its general features the lllustratlve machine comprises means for supporting1 a y die with its cutting edge directed upwar a cutting block movable toward and from the die to cut the blanks, feed rolls operated intermittently to advance the materlal into operative relation to the die and the block, and means for slitting the sheet of material during the feed movement in parallel relation to the direction of feed at a disthus constructed to operate upon the material in the same manner asthe machine shown in the earlier application herelnbefore referred to.

The machine herein shown, however is particularly constructed with a view to the use of a double die 2 whereby two blanks may be cut at each cutting o eration, the illustrative die, as shown in Fig. 6, being constructed to out two heel lifts with their breast edges in opposed relation and having a transverse cutting edge 4 intermediate between its opposite ends and extending in the direction of feed of the material to form the breast edges of both the lifts. The die is positioned in the machine with its edge 4 in alinement with a mark 6 which extends lengthwise of the cutting table 8 upon which the material is supported, the die being thus positioned centrally with reference to the mark 6 irrespective of its size or shape. in order to insure the correct location of the die, each of the dies provided for use in the machine is mounted upon a supporting plate 10 which is arranged to slide venient removal of a die and the substitution of a die of a different size or shape is thus facilitated. The plate 10, when in operative position, abuts against a In 14 on the plate 12, as shown in Fig. 4 an is held fast in the machine by means of a set screw 16 threaded in a detachable block 18 and arranged to bear against the opposite side of the plate 10 from the lug 14. Inorder to permit the removal of the plate 10 and the die, the operator loosens the screw 16 and slips the block 18 from its socket. The correct endwise location of the die with reference to the plate 10 in, order to aline the transverse edge with the mark 6 on the table, is insured by means of a pin 20 which extends through a hole in the die and a registerin hole in a lug 220i the plate 10 against w ich the die abuts; and on the opposite side from the lug 22 a clamping plate 4 is operated upon b a set screw 26 to clampthe die against the lug. On the side next to the plate 24 the die has an angular groove to receive the correspondln 1y shaped edge of the plate, as shown in F ig. 4, this construction serving to prevent thls side of the die from being lifted from the supporting plate 10. Preferably each die is provided with its own plate 10 to which it is permanently secured in the correct relation, and the substitution of different dies in the machine is thus rendered a comparatively simple matter without the necessity for adjustin each die in order to aline it properly wit the mark 6 on the table.

(Joperating with the die to cut the blanks is a cutting block which, in the construction shown, comprises a plate 28 formed of a metal which is softer than the material of the die and has a permanent roove 30 therein corresponding to the outline of-the cutting edge of the die and in which the cutting edge is received to produce a shearing out. For more detailed information as to the manner in which this groove may beslide 32 by means of set screws 38. The v correct location of the slide 32 is insured by means of a spring held pin 40 which is arranged to enter a socket in the slide, the details of this construction being illustrated more fully in my earlier application. Vertical reciprocatory movement is imparted to the block carrier 34 from a belt driven shaft 42 through connections comprising a pitman construction of these parts will not be dement 92 of a c utch mechanism, the conscribed herein in reater detail.

The means for eeding the material to the die comprises two pairs of feed: rolls, one pair consisting of rolls 46 and 48 positioned respectively above .and below the plane of the material and as close as practicable to the die 2, and'the other pair comprising rolls 50 and 52' similarly positioned in relation to the plane of the material in front of the first mentioned pair of rolls. Each roll is conveniently made up of a plurality of sections spaced apart -to prov de eripheral grooves or recesses in the rol each section being provided with a corrugated edge for effective engagement w1th' the material. The rolls 46 and 48 are mounted respectively on shafts 54 and 56 which are supported respectively in arms 58 and 60 mounted to swing about'the axes of rods 62 and 64 which are supported in a bracket 66 on the frame of the machine. Therev are ed respectively on the shafts 54 and 56- are toggle arms 68 and-70 (Fig. 10) which are connected by a pin 72 to a rod 74 which is mounted in the bracket 66 and carries a spring 76 tensioned between the bracket and I a stop collar 78-on'the rod for moving the rod in a direction to cause the toggle arms to swing the shafts 54 and 56 toward each other for bringing the feedrolls 46 and 48 nearer together. A stop 80 threaded on the rod 74 and engaging a lug 81-on the bracket 66 serves to llmit adjustably the ap roach of the rolls to each other. It will e evident that with this construction the two rolls are held yieldingly in engagement with the material by the spring 7 6 and are permitted to separate against the tension of the spring to accommodate differences in the thickness of the material.

46 and 48 from the main shaft 42 through connections comprising a gear 82 on the shaft 42 in mesh with a gear 84 -on a countershaft 86, the gear 84 having a crank pin 88 connected by a itman 90 to a driving elestruction of which is described in detail in mdy earlier application. A gear 94 connecte to the driven element'of the clutch is in to the die "spectively pinions 100 and 102 which are 70" keyed respectively to the roll shafts 54- and 56. It will be evident that with this construction the driving connectiolis to the feed rolls 46 and 48 are not affected by adjust-. ment of the rolls since the pinions 100 and 102 swing in adjustment about the axes of their driving pinions 96 and 98., In order to vary the extent of the feedin movement of the rolls for the dies ofdi erent sizes, the crank pin 88 is adjustable toward or from the axis of its driving gear 84 through the provision of a screw 104, a pointer 106 which coiiperates with a scale 108 on the side of the gear serving to indicate the correct adjustment for the particular die in use.

The front feed rolls 50 and 52 are mounted respectively on shafts 110 and 112 which are supported substantially midway of their length in brackets 114 and 116 and near their ends in other brackets 118 and 120, the brackets 118 and 120 being secured to the brackets 114 and 116, as shown in Fig. 4, and-both pairs of brackets being mounted loosel upon the respective roll shafts 54 and 56. he front. rolls 50 and 52 are thus 95. mounted to swing in adjustment about the respective axes of the other rolls 46 and 48. In order to determine the relative positions of the front rolls the machine is provided with a rod 122 arran ed substantially at right angles to the toggfe rod 74 and secured at its lower end to the frame of the machine,

this rod having, adjusting nuts 124 and 126 threaded thereon for determining the position of the support 120 and consequently of. the lower roll 52., Another nut 128 on the rod engages the su port 118 to determine the adjustment 0 the upper roll 50 relatively to the lower roll, and a spring 130 acting upon the su port 118 tends-to hold the upper roll yie dingly at its limit of movement toward the lower roll determined by the nut 128. The front roll shafts 110 and 112 carry respectively pinions 132 and 134, and the pinion 132 engages an idle pinion 136 mounted on the support 118, the

most of the rear pair of-rolls. 7 It will be un- Intermittent turning movements of pre-' determined extent are imparted to the rolls evident that'with this construction relative adjustment of the rolls 50 and 52 may be effected without disturbing their operative relation to the driving means. Secured to the ends of the roll shafts 54 and 56 are rotary cutters 140 and 142 which I a distance from its edge corresponding to,

or but slightly greater than, that dimension of the die which is perpendicular to the direction of the feed. As previously stated, dies of different sizes are positioned in the arranged to cotiperate with a scale. 180 to 1nd1cate the correct adjusted position of the stripping cutters with reference to the mark 6 on the table 8, the marking of the scale 180 corresponding to that of the scale 152 on the table 8. I

An important advantage of the arrangement of feed rolls and stripping cutters above described is that the cutters can oppose no obstruction to the admission of the material to the .rolls, since they are positioned at the rear of those rolls which first engage the material, and positive feed movemachine each with its transverse cutting ments of the material of the required extent edge 4, which is midway between the opposite. ends of the die, in line with-the mark is: 6 on the table 8, and the'machine is'provided with means whereby both the edge .guide 144 and the slitting cutters 140, 142 may be adjusted transversely of the direction of feed to accommodate their positions to the size of the die. The edge guide is carried by a bracket 146 which has a slot 148 to permit adjustment of the guide transversely of the table, the bracket being held in adjusted position by means of a clamping screw 150 threaded in a lug 151 attached to the rear of the table. A scale 152 on the table is graduated to indicate thecorrect location of the guide for each particular size of die. The cutters 140, 142 are adjustable transversely of thedirection of feed through provision for sliding endwisemovement of the shafts 54 and 56 relatively to the feed, rolls and pinions which are-mounted on these shafts, "the rolls and pinions being keyed to the shafts in such manner as to permit this relative movement without disturbing the operative relation of the rolls to their driving mechanism. The shafts 54 and 56 are ad usted endwise in unison by means of a hand wheel 154 (Fig. 7), this wheel being secured to a rod 156 which is swiveled in a bracket 158 and threaded in a slide 160. The slide is movable in a guideway 161 in the frame which extends in parallel relation to the shafts 54 and 56, the slide having arms 162 which engage thrust collars 164 on the respective shafts, whereby the shafts are moved endwise through sliding movement of the member 160. In order tohold the shafts in adjusted position the slide 160 is provided withfan extension 166 projecting through a slot 168 in a bracket 170, this extension having a threaded end portion 172 upon which is screwed a hand wheel 174, this wheel having a hub 175 arranged to engage a collar 176 which bears against the side of the bracket 170. By means of the hand wheel the slide 160 may thus be clamped tightly against its support to hold it against movement along the guideway. The collar 176, which is held from turning about its supporting member 166, carries a pointer 178 beforev it arrives at the proper location for the first pair of lifts to be cut by the die. It

will be evident also that in order to cut the material without undue 'waste it is essential that the material be fed in such manner as to insure that a'pair of complete blanks shall be cut by the die in the first instance with the material projecting only slightly, if at all, beyond the fartherv edge of the die. In

order that the material may be thus correctly ositioned "with reference to the die .in the rst instance, the machine is provided with means for controlling the admission of the sheet of material to the front feed rolls 50, 52', this means comprising a stop 182positioned between sections of the roll 50 and movable vertically into or out of position to cause its front'edge to engage the advancing I edge of the sheet of material and prevent the material from entering the rolls. The stop 182 comprises a plate extending in the direction of the feed of the material and provided with lugs 184 which support a rod 186 whereby the stop is pivotally connected to the lower ends of two arms188 secured to a holder 190 having an upward extension 192 mounted for sliding movement vertically in -a bearing 194. Threaded in said extension is the lower end of a rod 196 which slides at its upper end in a bearing 198, Movement.

is imparted to this rod to lift the stop 182 and permit the material to enter the feed rolls at a predetermined time with reference to the feed movement of the rolls, thereby causing the rolls to impart such proportional part of a normal feed movement to the material in the first instance as to insure the correct relation of. the material to the die .at the end of a subsequent feed movement. To

adjustment of the crank this end the shaft 42 carries a cam 200 provided with a groove 202 in which is mounted a roll 204' carried by an arm 206 which is mounted on one end of a rock shaft 208. On the other end of the shaft 208 is a second crank arm 210 the outer end of which is forked to receive trunnion blocks 212 pivoted on a sleeve 214 which is slidablevertically on the rod 196. The sleeve 214 engages at its upper end a collar 216 which is fast on the rod 196, and bearing upon the lower end of the sleeve is a spring 218 which is mounted on the rod with its lower end in engagement with a collar 220 fast on the rod. The cam 200 thus causes the arm 210 to raise the rod 196 and its connected stop 182 at a definite predetermined time through the engagement of the sleeve 214 with the collar 216. After the material has passed the front edge of the stop 182 the stop will ride upon t e surface of the material, or be raised but slightly thereabove by the operation of the cam, until after the rear edge of the material has been fed beyond the front portion of the stop, when the normal closing movement of the stop will be again permitted to prevent another sheet of material from entering the feed rolls prematurely. During the time that the complete downward movement of the stop is prevented by the presence of the material beneath it, the sleeve 214 will slide downwardly upon the rod 196 against the tension of the spring 218 in each downward swinging movement of the arm 210. The threaded connection between the rod 196 and the extension 192 of the holder 190 afi'ords provision for adjustment of the limit of downward movement of the stop, a nut 222 being provided to lock the rod and the ex tension in adjusted relation. It will be understood that the time of withdrawal of the stop 182 and consequently the proportion of the normal feed movement of the rolls 50, 52 which will be imparted to the material in the first instance depends upon the size of the die and thecorresponding extent of the normal feed movement of the material. As hereinbefore explained, the extent of movement of the feed rolls is adjustable, the proper adjustment for the die in use being determined by the pointer 106 and the scale 108 (Fig. 7). The cam 200 which operates the stop 182 also is adjustable about the axis of its driving shaft, and a scale 224 (Fig. 3) is provided on a circular member 225 adj acent to the cam to cooperate with a zero line 226 on the cam to indicate the proper ad'- justment of the cam corresponding to the pin 88 for the size of die in use, the cam being secured in ad justed position by bolts 227 which clamp the cam to the member 225. In this manner the movement of the stop is so timed relatively to the length of the feed movement of the material as to cause the material to be so positioned in relation to the die as to insure the cutting of a pair of complete lifts in the first instance without unnecessary waste. Preferably the a'dvanceof the material is so timed that-in the feed movement immediately preceding the final feed movement to the first dieing-out position, the edge of the material is projected slightly over the front edge of the die to cause the die to trim the edge of the material in case the edge is rough or uneven. a

In order to control the movement of the material in its passage through the feed rolls and to the die, the machine is provided further with a plate or bar 228 which extends between sections of the lower feed rolls 48 and 52 below the plane of the material and is pivoted at its front end on a lug 230 whlch is secured to the table. The rear end of the plate or guide member 228 rests'in a slot in a stripper member 232 which is positioned close to the die between the die and the feed rolls and is supported on an arm 234 pivoted at the rear of the die on a bracket 236, a spring 238 connected to the rear end of this arm serving to maintain the stripper at its upper limit of movement which is determined by engagement of the rear end of the arm 234 with an adjustable stop 240 on the frame. In its normal position the stripper 232 is thus above the plane of the cutting edge of the die, as shown in Fig. 4, and the position of the rear end of the guide plate 228 is determined by the stripper 232 upon which the plate rests. It will be evident that an important function of the plate 228 is to guide the material in its movement between the pair of feed rolls 46, 48 and the die in order to direct it over the. cutting edge of the die as it is fed, this function of the guide being particularly important in the case of that portion of the material which remains between the feed rolls and the die after the material has left the feed rolls. In order further to insure the proper movement of the material in its passage from the rolls to the die the machine is provided with a presser foot member 242 which is positioned above the rear end portion of the guide member 228 and is pressed downwardly by means of a vertically sliding bar 244 which presses upon it, this bar being mounted to slide in guideways on the frame and normally forced downwardly by means of a spring 246 which engages at its lower end in a, socket in the bar and at its upper end bears against an adjustable set screw 248. The presser foot 242 is thus held constantly in yielding engagement with the material, or against the member 228 when there is no material in the machine. At its front end the member 242 is hinged to the rear end of the stop member 182, thereby causing the front end of the presser foot to be raised by the wedging engagement of the member 182 to permit the front edge of the material to slide under the presser foot. The hinge connection between the presser foot and the stop member, moreover, permits the stop to be swung upwardly by its operating means to admit the sheet of material at the proper time without affecting the action of the presser foot upon any material; which may still remain between the feedrolls and the die, and also permits the front end of the stop to be swung downwardly behind the rear edge of the material to pre-'' vent the premature admission of a new sheet while the remainder of the first sheet still remains beneath the rear portion of the stop member and the presser foot 242.

It will be evident that the downward movement of the presser foot 242 under the action of the spring 246 is limited by the guide member 228, the position of which is determined, as hereinbefore explained, by the stripper 232, the strength of the spring 238 being greater than that of the sprin 246. When the cutting block .is move downwardly to cause the blanks to be cut, a

lug 250 on the block holder 34, engages the rear end of the presser foot 242 and depresses this member and also the guide 228 and the stripper 232, thus carrying down wardly that portion of the material which is between the die and the feed rolls and preventing an abrupt bend of the material close to the die. As the cutting block rises, the stripper 232 is forced upwardlyby the action of the spring 238, thereby raising also the rear end of the plate 228 and the presser foot 242, the limit of upward movement of these members being determined by the stop 240 in enga ement with the rear end of the arm 234. t one end of the die is also a gage 252 (Fig. 8), which is normally held above the plane of the cutting edge by means of springs 254 and is moved downwardly in a curved path corresponding approximately" to the bevel of the die through the action of the cutting block. The construction of this gage is more fully shown and described in my earlier application.

The machine is also provided with auxiliary feeding means for advancing that portion of the material which remains between the rolls 46, 48 and the die after the mate.- rialhas passed beyond the point for effect-i e engagement of the rolls therewith. This means comprises a pair of feed fingers 256 which are arranged to slide between sections of the feed rolls in parallel relation to the direction of feed and are pivoted near their rear ends at 257 upon the upper end of a crank arm 258. These fingers are connected together at their rear ends by a member 259, and a spring 260 connected to the member 259 tends to swing the front ends of the fin gers upwardly into the plane of feeding during its passage through the rolls.- A roll 261 carried by an arm 262 on the member 259 is arranged to engage a fixed guide 263 to limit the upward movement of the front'ends of the fingers. The arm 258 is secured to a rock shaft 264 mounted in bearings in the frame, this rock shaft having at its'opposite end from the arm 258 another crank arm 265. Pivotally connected to the arm 265 is a rod 266 which extends loosely through a block 268 and is secured at its outer end to a block 270. Secured to the block 268 is a second rod 272 which extends loosely through the block 270 and is pivotally connected to a crank arm 274 fast on a rock shaft 276. Secured also to the shaft 276 is a crank arm 278 provided with a roll-280 which is mounted in a groove in the face of a cam 282, this cambeing mounted on a shaft 284 which is driven by a gear 286 in engagement with thegear 84 hereinbefore referred to.- On the rod 272 between the twoblocks 268 and 270 is a spring 288. Re-

.move'the fingers back and forth between points located respectively close to the front edge of the die and substantially at the point where the rolls 46,48 bite the material. The guide 263, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 5, presents a convexly curved surface for engagement with the roll 261, and the guide is so arranged relatively to the path of movement of the pivot 257 as to cause a substantially rectilinear feed movement to be imparted to the front ends of the fingers 256.

In order further to insure the correct relation of the end portion of the material to the die, a stop 290 is provided, this stop being mounted on a plate 292 which is secured to a block 294 mounted to slide in parallel relation to the direction of feed. of the material upon a pin 296 which projects from the rear of the cutting block carrier 34. The stop 290 is thus positioned to engage'the front edge of the piece of material as the latter is advanced by the action of the feed fingers to insure the correct relation of the material to the die without permitting it to project to any substantial extent beyond the rear edge of the die. In order that the material engaging face of the stop 290 may be maintained as close as possible to the cutting edge of the die at the rear side of the latter, this face is inclined in substantially parallel relation to the bevel on the die, and movement across the face of the cutting block is imparted .to the stop during the downward movement of the block to cause the stop to engage the material close to the die Without permitting the stop to hit the die. In order to slide the sto in this manner the machine is provided wit a bracket 298 having an inclined groove 300 in which is positioned a roll 302 mounted on an upward extension of the block 294 to which the plate 292 is secured. As the cutting block is moved downwardly the stop 290 will thus be retracted to prevent it from engaging the die while positioned as close as practicable to the cutting edge. The lower portion of the groove 300 is enlarged at its rear side, as

shown at 304, in order to afiord a slight clearance, thus permitting the sto to yield backwardly during the continued ownward movement of the cutting block after the cutting action of the die egins. To position the stop correctly for dies of different sizes the plate 292 is adjustable in the block 294 and is clamped in adjusted position by means of a block 293 operated by a hand wheel 295.

It will be evident that when a piece of material is moved by the feed fingers into engagement with the stop 290 further forward movement of the fingers will be prevented in case the dimension of the plece of material in 'the direction of the feed is substantially greater than the corresponding dimension of the die. In order to meet this condition the spring 288, hereinbefore referred to, is provided in the operatlng connections between the feed fin rs and the operating cam 282. In caset e movement of the fingers is stopped prematurely the rod 272 will slide through the block 270 a ainst the tension of the spring 288, the b ock 268 sliding freely upon the rod 266 during this relative yielding movement of the parts. A stop collar 306 on the rod 266, serves, by engagement with the block 268, to determine the normal relative positions of the two rods 266 and 272.

As hereinbefore explained, the edge guide 144 is provided at the back of the table 8 to guide the edge of the material in close relation to one end of the die and cause the blanks to be cut as closely as possible to the edge of the sheet. Sheets of material such as leatherboard, however, are, as stated, frequently somewhat rough and uneven on the edge, and with the edge guide positioned as above explained, there-is danger that some of the blanks produced in the first passage of the sheet through the machine may e imperfect. The machine shown is accordin ly provided with means for guiding the s eetv in its first passage through the machine in such manner as to cause a wider margin of the material to project beyond the end of the die. This means comprises a supplementary edge guide 308 at the back. of the guide 144, the supplementary guide being integral with the bracket 146. In order to permit the use of the supplementary guide, the guide 144 is pivotally mounted on the supporting bracket 146 by means of a rod 310 which is pivoted in bearings 312 on the bracket. A spring 313 mounted on the rod tends to turn the rod in such manner as 'to-maintain the guide 144 in its operative position while permitting it to be swung upward away from the table 8 to permit the supplementary guide to be used. n order to ena le the operator conveniently to swing the guide 144 out of the wa when desired, the guide is provided with a l ug 314 to which is connected a rod 316 which termlnates in a handle 318 positioned in a convenient location for manipulation by the operator. 4

As the blanks are cut they drop through the die in the usual manner, and in order to separate the perfect blanks from the scrap the machine is provided with a sifter or separator 320 beneath the die in position to catch the material as it falls. The separator 1s pivoted at 322 and is inclined downwardly as shown. Oscillatory vertical movements are imparted to the separator, to cause it to sift the material and deliver the perfect lifts at its lower end, through connections comprising an upright rod 324 and a lever 326 to which the rod is pivoted at its upper end, the lever being operated by means of an eccentric 328 on the shaft 284 hereinbefore referred to. A spring 330 affords a yielding connection between the rod 324 and a yoke 325 to which the lower end of the separator is connected, in order to eliminate undue shock in the reversal of 'movement of the separator.

The bottom of the separator, in the novel construction shown, comprises a plate of sheet metal having openings cut therein which are smaller than the perfect blanks. These openings are rectangular in shape and are separated by transverse pieces of the metal, as shown at 332. In order to retard the movement of the material down the incline of the separator, and thereby render it effective to sift out the scrap the transverse sections 332 of the metal plate are twisted about axes extending transversel of the in'cline of the separator to cause t eir upper edges to arch above the plate, as shown in Fig. 11. The sections 332 thus serve to retard the movement of the material down the incline long enough to insure the elimination of the scrap.

It is desirable in machines of this character, in order to avoid unnecessary handling of the product of the machine, that the blanks be delivered by the machine into a receptacle. In order to provide for such delivery it has been necessary heretofore, in machines in which means is provided for separating the blanksfrom the scrap, to elevate the machine from the -fioor in such -manner as to permit a receptacle to be p0- sitioned under the delivery endof the separator. Such an elevation of the machine, however, makes it inconvenient for the operator to manipulate the material in feeding it to the machine. condition, and permit the parts of the machine to remain low enough for convenience, the machine shown is provided with means for receiving the blanks from the separating them to a convenient I a chute 344 to direct the blanks into the receptacle. The conveyer is driven by an extension of the shaft 284 which carries a worm 346 in engagement with a worm gear 348 mounted on the shaft which carries the pulley338.

It will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 that the front feed rolls 50 and 52 are longer than the rear pair of rolls 46 and 48 and pro'ect at their outer ends beyond the plane 0 and 142. This not only insures that the front rolls shall extend across the full width of that portion of the material between. the edge guide and the slitting cutters, whatever may be the position of adjustment of these cutters, but also that the front rolls shall engage the material on opposite sides of the line of the slit produced in the sheet by the cutters, thus causing the material to be fed in a straight line without any tendency to deviate from its correct path of movement by reason of resistance encountered through engagement with the cutters.

In order that the slitting cutters 140, 142

shall be effective to cut the stock during its feed movement it is necessary that one or both of these cutters be larger in diameter than the coaxial rollor rolls to cause the two cutters to overlap each other. In the construction shown the upper cutter 140 only is thus enlarged. This arrangement permits the die, which is on the same side of the plane of the material as the lower roll, to be positioned close to the rolls withportion of the stop to its limiting position.

out interference with the slitting cutters.

In the operation of the machine constructed as thus far described, a die 2 of the desired size and its corresponding cutting block 28 are first securedin position, and suitable adjustments of the slitting cutters 140, 142 and of the edge guide 144 are made to correspond to the size ofthe die. The crank pin 88 is also adjusted, if necessary, to cause the material to be fed at each operation the correct distance for the size of die in use, and the cam 200 is correspond- 'In order to avoid this action of the slitting cutters 140 ingly adjusted to cause the stop 182 to be lifted in the correct time relation to the movement of the feed rolls to insurethe cutting of a pair of complete blanks in the first instance. If the edge of'the sheet of material is rough or uneven, the operator then swings the edge guide 144 out of its operative position by means of the handle 318 and positions the sheet upon the table with its edge in engagement with thesupplemental guide 308 and moves it toward the front feed rolls, the admission of the material to the rolls being controlled by the stop 182 in the mannerhereinbefore explained. When the material is permitted to pass between the stop and the guide member 228 upon the lifting of the stop, it is fed forwardly and by its wedging action upon the rear portion .of the stop. member .182 causes the front edge of the presser foot 242 to be lifted sufficiently to permit the material to pass under it. As the material is advanced by the feed rolls it is guided over the front edge of the die by the members ceeding feed movements and blank cutting operations are a repetition of those described, the cutters 140 and 142 serving to slit the material intermittentl in'each feed movement substantially in alinement withthat end of the'die which is nearest to these cutters'and thus to form a straight edge'on the sheet for engagement, with the edge guide in the next passa e of the material through the machine. hen the rear edge of the material passes beyond 'the' front end portion of the stop 182 the latter is per-' mitted to swingndownwardly behind the material in order to prevent another sheet of material from entering the feed rolls prematurely in case the operator follows the first sheet very closely by another sheet. Notwithstanding the return of the front end the remainder of the material in the line of feed continues to be pressed downward by the rear portion of the stop member and by the presser foot 242. When the rear edge of the material has arrived substantially in the plane of the axes of the rolls 46 and 48, it is engaged by are swung upwardly behind it through the action of the spring 260, and these fingers the feed fingers 256 which push the remainder of the. material forwardly in time relation to. the movement of the cutting block to complete the movement of the material into the correct relation to the die for the next cutting operation.' This movement of the feed fingers takes place as the cutting block is moving downwardly and the material is pushed by the fingers against the stop 290 WhlCh, as hereinbefore explained moves downwardly with the block and is s multaneously moved across the face of the block in the direction of the feed of the material to maintain its point of intersection with the plane of the.

cutting edge of the die at a substantially uniform distance from the cutting edge. In case the material engages the stop before the feed fingers complete their normal movement toward the die, the spring 288 in the operating connections for the fingers (yields in the manner hereinbefore explaine i As the cutting block moves downwardly in each cutting operation, the member 250 engages the presser foot 242 and moves the presser foot downwardly together with the guide member 228 and the stripper 232, and when the cutting block rises after the cutting operation, the stripper is moved upwardly by the action of its spring 238 and carries upwardly with it the members 228 and 242, thus raising the front edge of the material above the cutting edge of the die to permit the next feed movement to take place without interference by the die. [he stripper 232 also performs its function of clearlng the scrap from the end of the die in a manner well understood.

As the blanks and the scrap fall from the die they are received in the separator 320 and the blanks are separated from the scrap by the action of the separator and are then delivered into the buckets 336 of the conveyer by which they are carried upwardly and deposited in a receptacle which is positioned to receive them. After the first row of blanks has been cut from the sheet, the edge guide 144, which may have rested upon the surface of the sheet during the previous series of cutting'operations, is returned to its operative position by the spring 314 and in the succeeding movements of the sheet through the machine guides the anaterial in close relation to the end of the It will be understood that the stop 290, while presented at each downward movement of the cutting block in position to cooperate with the auxiliary feed fingers 256 to position the end portion of the material relatively to the die, presents no obstruction to the normal feed movement of the material which is effected by the feed rolls, since its material engaging face is presented at, or slightly beyond, the limit of the normal feed movement of the front edge of the material.

The manner in which the machine is adapted for cutting wedge lifts is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13.. As hereinbefore explained, the material from which such lifts are produced comprises strips previously cut in the width required and split in wedge shape in transverse section. The stripping cutters 140, 142 therefore are not used when the machine is operating to produce these lifts and may turn idly during the feed of the material. The. invention provides means whereby two strips are guided with their thinner edge portions in overlapping relation, these portions of the strips also overlapping the mark 6 on the table 8 to cause the strips to be fed to the die in such relation to the transverse cutting edge 4 as to permit the breast edges of two lifts to be formed by a single incision made by said edge. For this purpose a guide member-350 is secured in any suitable way to the table 8 in parallel relation to the direction of feed, this member'being found to provide a guiding surface 354 for the thin edge of one of the strips and another surface 358 for guidingthe thin edge of the other strip, these surfaces being respectively ofl'set laterally to cause the thin edge portions of the strips to overlap each other. The member 350 is also provided with a horizontal portion 356 arranged to extend between the overlapping portions of the strips. The rear edge guide 144 is positioned at a distance from the guide surface 358 substantially equal to the width of the strip a, and another guide member 360 is secured to the table on the opposite'side of the member 350 at the same distance from the guide surface 354 as the distance between the guide 144 and the surface 358.

The member 360 is provided with an extension 362 which fits in a transverse groove 364 in the table to insure parallel relation of the guide member 360 to the direction of feed, and a set screw 366 serves to fit the member 360 in adjusted position. Itwill be evident that with the guide members thus arranged the distance between the two outer guides 144 and 360 is less than the combined widths of the two strips of material by the extent which the strips overlap. The feed ing of the two strips and the control of their feed movements will take place in the manner hereinbefore explained. As the two.

strips are carried through the feed rolls their edges will remain in overlapping relation, and when the die operates upon the strips the transverse edge 4 will cut through both strips slightly inside of their outer thin edges, thus forming the breast edges of two lifts simultaneously while insuring an even and clean cut.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the

measured lengths of material into position the A p combination with cutting means-and means spaced from sald cutting means for feeding feeding material into position to be operated upon by said'cutting means, of means for engaging the rear edge of. the material as it 7 leaves said feedingmeans and pushing it toward the cutting means, and means for engaging the front edge of the material to limit its movementand determine its relation tn, the cutting means.

3. In'a machine of the class described, the combination with. means for cutting blanks from sheet material and means for feeding material into position for successive operations thereon of said cutting means, of means for engaging the rear end of the material as it leaves said feeding means and completing the movement-of the end portion of the material into position for the'final operation of said cutting means. thereon, and a sto for engaging the material to limit said nal feedmlovement and insure the correct relation of the material to the cutting means. 1

4. In a machine of the class described, the combinationwith means for cutting blanks from sheet material and means forfeeding a sheet of material intermittently to said cutting means through a plurality of cutting operations, of auxiliary means comprising a I reciprocatory feed member arranged to operate upon the material asit leaves said feeding means to completeam'ovemen't of the material into position fora blank to be cut therefrom, and a stop for engaging the material 'to limit the movement imparted thereto by said auxiliary means. 1

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for cutting blanks from sheet material, of means comprising feed rolls for advancing a sheet of material intermittently to said cutting means, a reciprocatory feed finger arranged to operate upon the material as it leaves said feed rolls to complete a movement of the material into position for a blank to be cut therefrom, and means for engaging the material to limit the movement imparte thereto by said feed finger.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with cutting means and means spaced from said cutting means for feeding of an auxiliary feed member arranged to advance the end portion of the material across the space between said cutting means and feeding means,means for engaging the material to limit the movement imparted thereto by said auxiliary member, and operating means for said auxiliary member constructed to impart a movement of a normal. maximum .length to the member while permitting the member to be stopped by the resistance'of the material at different points short of its normal limit of movement.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination .with cutting means comprising adie, of means for feeding measured lengths of a sheet of material into osition to be cut 'by the die, an auxiliary eed member arranged to operate upon the end portion of thematerial to advance it across the die, a stop for engaging the front edge of the material to limit the movement imparted thereto by said member, and ,o crating means for sald member constructe and arranged to move the member normally substantially as far-as the cutting edge of the die while permitting the member to stop before it reaches said normal limit of movement.

8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for cutting blanks from sheet material, of means spaced from said cutting means for advancing a sheet of material intermittently to the cutting means, a reciprocatory feed member arranged to' o erate upon the material asit leaves said ceding means to push it toward the cutting means, a stop for engaging the material to limit the movement imparted thereto by said member, and yielding means for imparting operative movement to said member.

9. In a machine of-the class described, the combination with cutting meanscomprising relativelyreciprocable cutting block and die members, ofmeans for feeding a piece of material into the path of relative reciprocation of said members for a cutting operation, and means at the. farther side of the die member for engaging the material to limit its feeding movement, the feeding means comprising operating connections parts of which are arranged for relative movement against yielding resistance when the movement of thematerial is stopped by said limiting means.

'10. In a machine of the class described, the combination with cutting means, of means for feeding a piece of material into position to be operated upon by said cutting means comprising a reciprocatory feed member arranged to engage the rear edge of the material and operating connections for said member, and a stop beyond the cutting means against which the front edge of the iao material is pushed by the feed member to limit the feeding movement, said operatmg connections including a spring arran ed to yield when the material engages sai stop.

11. Ina machine of the class described, the combination with cutting means comprising a die, of a reciprocatory feed member at one side of the die for engaging the rear edge of a piece of material and pushing the material across the die, a sto for engaging the front edge of the material at the rear of the die to limit the movement imparted to the material by said member, and operating means for said member arranged to move the member normally substantially as far as the cutting edge of the die on the side of the die which is nearest to said member and including provision for relative movement between said member and its operating means upon engagement with the stop of a piece of materlal the dimension of which in the direction of feed is greater than the correspondlng dimension of the die.

12. In a machine of the class described, the combination with cutting means comprising a die, of feeding means spaced from the front side of the die foradvancing a sheet of material intermittently "across the die, auxiliary means for moving the end portion of the material across the space between said feeding means and the die, and means at the rear of the die for engaging the advancing edge of said end portion-of the material to prevent further movement thereof and thus to position the material in the correct relation to the die for a complete blank to be cut therefrom without waste.

13. In a machine of the class described, the combination with cutting means comprising a die, of feeding means comprising feed rolls for advancing material intermittently across the die, auxiliary means comprising a reciprocatory feed member for pushing the end portion of the material across the die after the material leaves the feed rolls, and a stop at the rear of the die arranged to engage the material to limit the movement imparted thereto by said member.

14. In a machine of the class described, the combination with means for cuttin blanks from sheet material, of means spaced from. the cutting means for feeding material into position to be cut by said means, auxiliary means for feeding the end portion of the material across the space between said feeding means and cutting means, a stop for engaging the material to limit the movement imparted thereto by said auxiliary means, and means for operating said stop to cause it to be moved into position to cooperate with said auxiliary means and to be withdrawn in time relation to the normal feed movements of the material.

15. In a machine of the class described, the combination with cutting means comprising a die and a cutting block and means for effecting relative movement of said -die and block, of means for feeding material between the die and the block,

auxiliary means for advancing the end portion of the material into position for a blank to be cut therefrom by the die, and means arranged to be moved by said relative movement of the die and the block into position to engage the front edge of the material and limit the movement imparted thereto by said auxiliary means.

16. In a machine of the class described,

the combination with cuttin means comprising a die and a cutting block movable toward and from the die, of means spaced from the die for feeding material between the block and the die,- auxiliary means for s5 advancing the end portion of the material between the block and the die after the material has left said feeding means, and means movable with the cutting block for engaging said end portion of the material to to operate upon the end portion of the material after the material' has left the feed roll to complete a movement of the material into position for a blank to be cut therefrom, and a stop movable with the cutting block and arranged to engage the front edge of the material at the rear of the die to limit the movement imparted thereto by said auxiliary means.

18. In a machine of the class described,

the combination with cutting means comprising a cutting block, a die beveled on' its outer surface to form a cutting edge, and means for moving the cutting block toward and from the die, of means spaced from the die for feeding a sheet of material between the block and the die, means for moving the ehd portion of the material across the space between said feeding means and the die to advance it into position for a blank to be cut therefrom, a stop movable with the cutting block for engaging the front edge of said end portion of the material to limit its feed movement, said stop having its material engaging surface extending in substantially parallel relation to the bevel of the die, and means for moving the stop in the direction of the feed movement of the material during the movement of the cutting block toward the die to maintain the point of intersection of the stop block movable 95 

